The close to frosty temperatures on this Canadian holiday long weekend changed our plans from a trip to cottage country aka huddling by the fireplace and plaid jackets to taking advantage of city living. Kensington Market is a one of a kind Toronto experience – bustle, hustle and grit. You can find everything here from live chickens, vintage clothing and food from every nation under the sun. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but my little Extraverted soul felt ALIVE and loving it on our Sunday morning visit for brunch. This clip will give you a sense of the environment. Have a peek and then I will list my top 5 reasons for Extraverted bliss.

Extraverted Bliss

Stimulating – I am currently catching up on bookkeeping tasks (long overdue) and I was running out of energy after being chained to my desk for two days. When we decided to go to Kensington for brunch , the sights, sounds and people brought me back to life. Now, I am re-energized enough to be a spreadsheet genius.

Nurturing – We went to Wanda’s Pie in the Sky – a warm, funky, neighbourhood open kitchen where we sat at a big communal table filled with a stack of current papers from the NY Times to the local community paper. The food was fresh, beautiful to look at and full of soul.

Engaging – There were lots of regulars in the crowd at Wanda’s greeting each other and engaging in pleasant banter with the staff. The staff, by the way, were engaged in their work offering friendly service. The owner, Wanda, who we happen to know was there and came out to greet us. She knows how to create an ambiance that makes people feel at home.

Connecting – A couple sat down beside us and I couldn’t resist commenting on the simply gorgeous bowl of brilliant green fiddleheads, snowpeas and green beans. She responded warmly graciously and politely while he insisted enthusiastlically that my husband and I have a taste. All I can say is YUM.

Exploring – There we sat two couples and in each pair one with Extraverted behaviours and one with a seeming preference for Introversion. We were strangers for 30 seconds. My new friend Francesco and I discovered in our 20 minute conversation that we both paint, that he designed the artwork for Wanda’s business, that he was born into a family of cooks (in a trattoria in southern Italy), that the lovely Caterina is from Florence and is a Textile Conservator, that we have both used coffee in our paintings (yes, you read that correctly – coffee), that his sister has one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. We found many threads in common and had a truly lively fully invigorating conversation.

The SO WHAT of this Extraverted Moment:

All of us need to remember to put gas in the tank regularly – Extraverts do it through external stimuli not just through people.

It is important to celebrate our gifts. Many Extraverts have the gift of connecting with others and are natural networkers. My sense is that we could have sat beside Francesco and Caterina and never discovered one thing about them let alone their names. I am grateful for the many opportunities to make new discoveries that my Extraverted ways have brought me.

We need each other to balance the equation. I also sense that while we all seemed to enjoy our conversation on this occasion, there are an equal number of times that I benefit from the calm and grounded reflective energy that Introverts bring to the table.

People say...

I feel synchronicity brought Sandy and me together. I was just starting up my consulting practice after eight years in a management role and wanted to bring my visual art into the picture. While I've done artwork based on various series, I'd never thought of doing the MBTI concepts. Sandy's energy, enthusiasm and creativity are very inspiring. Her openness and flexibility made it possible for us to meet and I hope we'll have many more opportunities for connection. I have Sandy's book Inner Landscapes available at my MBTI workshops in Vancouver.- Mary Bennett, Consultant, Artist, Facilitator, www.marybennett.net